Indigenous Children After The Treaty example essay topic

Stolen Generation The Australian governments of the mid 1900's should all be ashamed of the way they treated indigenous Australians. Aborigines are as much a part of this country as white Australians and for them to be treated the way they were is irreconcilable. Aborigines were discriminated against through removal, lies and abuse which the government should be responsible for. For over fifty years, government policies required indigenous children to be removed from their families in an attempt to destroy the indigenous community. The children were removed simply because they were indigenous which is a clear example that the Australian government was genocidal towards the indigenous population. "There was a clear and explicit intention to eliminate indigenous cultures and entities". [P. 17.

Questions and Answers] The governments at the time believed that they were doing the correct thing but due to the lies told to the indigenous community and the rest of the world this is obviously a farce. The governments told the parents that their children would only be removed if the parents were drunks, untrustworthy or unfit to bring up children, which is clearly a lie. The government could remove any child they wished even if the parents abide by these so-called rules. The government also lied to the rest of the world by signing a Genocide Convention act which stated that countries may not inflict harm on any racial group. Australia signed this treaty even though they continued to remove indigenous children after the treaty was signed. Indigenous children were taken away from their families and put into foster homes and boarding houses where the majority were abused and tormented.

Children who were fostered out to caring and loving families were the lucky ones. Others were not so lucky. Some were made to work as servants and others as cleaners for little or no pay. Many were raped and beaten which lead to problems in later life. 'One in three indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families'. [P. 33 Who will help the stolen children's children?] The abuse and torment suffered by these children caused many of them to suffer eating, sleeping and behavioural problems. The problems stuck with these children into adulthood and lead to drug abuse, self-harm and even suicide.

This caused social stigmas to be placed on the indigenous community which until this day still stand. For instance, indigenous people are thought to be petrol-sniffing alcoholics, whereas only a few really are. These stigmas may never have occurred if the government had not taken these children away..